The Dragon's Story
by Reda
Summary: Lews Therin Telamon, Kinslayer, the Dragon. When Rand accidentally passes control over to Lews Therin, the world begins to fear another Breaking.
1. The Dragon Takes Control

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that fans should recognize from the Wheel of Time series. Lews Therin Telamon and Rand definitely, completely belong to Robert Jordan, the greatest author in the state of existence right now. All characters that I create (if I create any along the way of this fanfic.) do not exist in the series and are a figment of my imagination (duh). Please ask if you want to use my idea or characters. If someone else has used this idea before then...I did not know about it, so don't sue me. This is my first WoT fan fiction and I'm only making it up because I just had the "what if?" question enter my mind. Thank you for reading.

Warnings: All I'm going to say for a warning is don't get mad at me if you read this and you haven't read up to book #9 Winter's Heart and something is revealed to you. I have read all the way to Winter's Heart and I'm working on Crossroads of Twilight at the moment, which should give you an idea about where this story takes place. Again, thank you for reading.

Prologue:

The Dragon Takes Control

Rand paced the floor, rubbing his head, muttering under his breath. The wounds in his side still throbbed with evil pain; he ignored them; they were forgotten pains, just a nuisance now. But still they should have disappeared or been able to be healed when he had removed the taint from _saidin_. That's what he had hoped at least. He shrugged it off and continued to pace, forming a rescue plan in his head; nothing else save for starting a war between the Asha'man and the Aes Sedai came to mind, and that was not something the world could survive right before the Last Battle.

"You cannot save her, boy." He stopped and stared at Cadsuane, the one Aes Sedai Min said he could trust. Sitting in a chair against the wall, working on her embroidery, Cadsuane did not look like an Aes Sedai, but she was one that made the others tremble at her commands. _What am I supposed to learn from and her, and how is it supposed to help me?_

A slash of pain from Elayne's Warder bond made him flinch yet again, and he glared at Cadsuane as if it were her fault. "I have to go; she needs my help _now_." He wasn't the only one feeling Elayne's pain; the oddly dressed woman standing at the door was also Elayne's Warder—Rand had just been told that but five minutes ago—and she called herself Birgitte.

"_She_ needs _your_ help? _They_ need _our_ help, sheepherder." Standing in the corner, looking hard faced and calm, Lan hardly let the stress over Nynaeve show. Both Nynaeve and Elayne had been forced back to the White Tower against their will, and something wasn't right about the whole ordeal.

"You cannot save her." This time when Cadsuane spoke she was addressing the three of them—Rand, Birgitte, and Lan.

Rand couldn't help but cry out and grab the nearby table for support when the pain from the Warder bond attacked his old scars, which were now throbbing with newfound pain. Min was at his side in an instant, but he shook it off and stood back up, looking north where the bond pointed him. Now he knew for certain that something was wrong, something bad was happening at that bloody White Tower!

Min stood beside him in her normal coat and breeches, ready to give support if he needed it again. Lews Therin hummed in the back of his mind, but Rand suppressed it. He moved his gaze to Cadsuane, surprised to find her full concentration on him and her eyes full of worry. _Since when did she care about me?_ Lews Therin abruptly turned and hid at the steady, scrutinizing look that Cadsuane sent him. Now _that_ was the look of an Aes Sedai. Rand found that he had to force his own glare away from her, and his eyesight took in the worried, partly confused, partly angry questioning stare of Birgitte and Lan.

Min grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her. "Oh, Rand, what can they be doing to Elayne if you feel it that bad from here?"

Rand was already shaking his head at the mention of the Daughter Heir of Andor, but it was Birgitte who got the first word it. "It wasn't Elayne."

Lan got the next word before Rand could even open his mouth. "It's not Nynaeve."

_My poor Ileyna! Light forgive me! Forgive me Ileyna!_ Rand suppressed Lews Therin's abrupt wailings about his long dead love, and finally opened his mouth to say whose pain he had felt that time. "It was Aviendha."

He felt Min's sudden distress even without the aid of the Warder bond. "_That_ came from _her_?" He nodded, sad to see tears in her eyes, but he hardened himself against the pain of sadness. He was the Dragon Reborn; he had to be hard, and he had to save two of three women he loved. Lews Therin began humming again.

"Now I want an explanation from you, boy." Rand swerved around to face Cadsuane, causing Lews Therin to flee at her gaze once again. Rand wished he could flee, too, but it was either face Cadsuane or switch places with the madman in his head. "Everyone in this room knows something I don't, and the secret is going to stop right her, right now!" Rand shivered and rubbed his arms, which told him Cadsuane had actually embraced saidar; it was time to be wary of her no matter what Min told him. "The only explanation I can get from you swearing that Elayne's in trouble and that you feel pain from this Aviendha is that you've been bonded somehow. I thought Alanna had already bonded you, and she certainly hasn't been mentioned once! What is the meaning of this Al'Thor?"

Min clung to him suddenly crying out, and then Rand felt his own pain, his only warning being the shattered glass of one of Cairhein's palace windows. He fell and skidded along the floor, Min still right beside him. The old wound was on the edge of breaking, but he pushed the pain down as he pushed to his feet, holding Min close so as to keep her safe.

Looking around he saw Lan had his sword out and Birgitte had taken out a bow, ready to shoot a silver arrow. But what got him by surprise were Cadsuane, who had a shield around him and Min, and the woman who had challenged the Aes Sedai. Though he didn't recognize the strange woman by her looks, there was no mistaking the voice once she spoke.

Lews Therin reached for _saidin_, and Rand barely beat him in time. There was no longer the worry of the taint, but he still had to battle with the madman in his head. Lews Therin fought to control the One Power, but Rand managed to push him down every time.

_It's mine, let me have it or she'll kill us both!_

_No!_ Rand shouted at Lews Therin, who only moaned and fought harder to gain control.

"Who's this wench with you, Lews Therin? You're mine; you belong to me. If you don't accept to come with me this last time I'll kill you like the Great Lord commands. Join me, Lews Therin. I give you one last chance to join me." She sounded just like Lanfear, but that wasn't what she _looked_ like.

_Who cares what she looks like; it's still her. Give it to me; I have to kill her!_

Rand smirked, a new idea on how to win against Lews Therin finally entering his head. After all, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. _You mean _we_ have to kill her; let's work together, Lews Therin._

_We? Together? Would that work?_

Rand bit his lip so he wouldn't risk speaking aloud. This needed to be between him and Lews Therin; it wouldn't do for everyone to start thinking the Dragon Reborn had gone mad. _Of course it'll work; we're the same person._

As he waited for Lews Therin's answer, Lanfear, or whoever she was, frowned. "Fine then, die if you must. I'll be named Nae'blis if I can bring you to Shayol Ghul, and Moridin would be a madman to resist me."

_Moridin? Who?_

_Moridin means death! We're all going to die! Let me have control!_ Lews Therin was fighting against him in desperation, clawing for the non-reachable flame that was _saidin_ like a madman. Rand stood his ground; he had to be hard.

"No!" Cadsuane's yell of defiance broke the humid air in the room. Rand watched as the determined Aes Sedai pushed against the woman that resembled Lanfear. He watched as they both toppled to the ground, clawing at each other's faces.

"Rand, watch out!" Min warned, just as she pulled him to the floor.

Something rushed by his hair and a second later the air was filled with a loud explosion. When Min finally allowed him to stand, Rand blinked in shock as well as new fear when he saw the hole in the palace wall. It might as well have never existed. Only one attack was powerful enough to do that, as far as he knew. Balefire.

Alarm pulsed through Lews Therin and then sweetened glee. Rand came to grips with himself once he realized he no longer held the Power. Lews Therin Telamon had won his battle, and Rand Al'Thor was now the one grappling to control _saidin_.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Old Enemies

Disclaimer: Robert Jordan owns the Wheel of Time, the Dragon and the Dragon Reborn, and all other characters and aspects of the series. I am merely putting my imagination to words. Also, the first paragraph is straight (and I mean deliberately copied) from the Eye of the World and is in no way mine. This will be my last disclaimer for this fan fiction work, because it is a little pointless to keep saying, "I don't own the Wheel of Time" when everybody already knows I don't. Anyways, on with the story and thanks for reading.

Chapter 1:

Old Enemies

           The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose in the Mountains of Mist. The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of Time, but it was _a _beginning.

           The wind traveled east, away from its birthplace in the cloud-covered peaks that gave the mountains their name. Across the land named the Two Rivers it blew, leaving its mark with chill in the winter air. It rustled through the leaves of trees and whitened the face of a poor sheepherder on an important mission.

           Tam Al'Thor caught his cloak in the chilly wind and held the good wool close, letting it warm his cold body. He was the father of the Dragon Reborn, and if anyone in the world was as clueless about the fact of the Dragon being reborn at last, it was Tam. Through bloodlines he wasn't Rand's true father at all, but he had saved the boy from certain death in the snow at Dragonmount's peak. He had been there when the Aiel had finally been defeated on the slopes of Dragonmount, for he had fought in the Aiel Wars. Tam Al'Thor was one of the very few blade masters in the Two Rivers, probably the only man actually born in the Two Rivers that had ever possessed a heron-marked blade or ever left home to participate in a foreign war.

           Now the only weapon he owned was a good Two Rivers longbow, and Tam Al'Thor was well known for his excellent marksmanship, at least in the Two Rivers. For all he knew Rand still had and used the heron-marked blade, and most likely was quite the blade master by now. The only thing was, Tam didn't know where Rand was, or even if the boy was still alive. It seemed like ages ago when Rand, Perrin, Mat, and even Egwene had left the Two Rivers with an Aes Sedai right after the first attack of Trollocs. There was no telling what happened to the four of them, or to Nynaeve once she disappeared to chase after the boys and her apprentice.

           Perrin had returned alive and well, but with golden eyes, like the beady eyes of a wolf. And Perrin, now known as Perrin Goldeneyes, Lord of the Two Rivers, had led the Two Rivers men in several attacks against the invading Trollocs with _different_ battle tactics. There was no doubt Perrin had been changed for life, no matter how often he tried to deny it. Because of the change in the boy—now a man—Tam worried about Rand even more so than usual. Perrin had reassured Tam that Rand was still alive, but still he worried about the change in his son. Obviously, Perrin had returned home as soon as possible, but why hadn't Rand come too, or Mat?

           His new horse, nicknamed Quickfoot, whinnied and stamped his hooves on the cold snow on the forest floor. Tam reached for the bridle and calmed the horse. Quickfoot may be the fastest horse ever bred in the Two Rivers, but he had to be the one with the least intelligence. Quickfoot jumped if the wind was too cold! So there was no telling what had frightened the dumb horse.

           Tam missed Bela. Bela was the _smartest_ horse ever bred in the Two Rivers, to completely rival Quickfoot in intelligence. Bela had been easily trained, and was actually pretty quick once she got going. Tam missed his old horse, but, just like his heron-marked blade, Bela now belonged to Rand. _Where can that boy be? Even if he did happen to get tied to that Aes Sedai, why would he not return home just so I can know he's safe?_

The snap of a twig from behind him made Tam swerve around, dropping his horse's bridle at the face of a stranger dressed in Aiel clothing. The bright red hair and the height of the man gave him away as an Aiel to most, but the proof for Tam was the veil covering the man's face and the spear in the man's hand that took the place of a sword.

           Tam immediately took out his bow and drew an arrow quicker than a normal man could. He held it up, ready to shoot, but here he wavered. He had heard from the refugees flocking to the Two Rivers that the Aiel were now on their side, but a clan had refused to help the "wetlanders." _Which side is this Aielman on?_

The next movement gave it all away and crushed Tam's hopes to actually find a friend in an old enemy. The Aiel realizing that his secrecy was gone, jumped forward, and Tam's arrow shot the fool in the air. Letting out a breath that he just noticed he had held, Tam lowered his bow. How the Aiel could survive in the snow after living in a desert wasteland for so long without knowledge of even such a thing as rain, Tam did not know, but obviously they could because this fellow had done it.

           After a moment, Tam put his bow away, convinced there were no other wandering Aiel in the area. Perhaps this unlucky man had been lost, or maybe he was a scout or even a lookout. Tam hoped for the least likely; he could handle a handful, just a handful, of Aiel, but there was no man alive that could take on an entire clan by himself.

           Taking slow steps in the snow, Tam reached the side of the dead Aielman. His arrow had pierced the Aiel straight through the heart, an instant death. The blood froze when it touched the white snow, showing how cold it was outside. Tam clutched his cloak closer to his body, feeling the wind rush by through the winter forest. He'd have to hide the body and let it rot in the snow; he could not bear to risk his path being tracked, especially by a vile Aiel.

           SO he set about his task with cold fingers, red more from the cold than the dead man's blood. Tam shivered as he covered the corpse with the dirty snow. He could care less for any Aiel; they had caused too much death in the Aiel Wars, too much death. Every last one of them deserved to die, no matter which side they were on now.

           Spitting on the grave of the Aiel corpse, Tam walked back to his horse. Quickfoot was showing signs of being startled yet again, and this Tam Al'Thor took it seriously, looking around out of the corner of his eye as he led Quickfoot on through the snow. IF there were other Aiel about then he needed to be wary and watchful, and that included staying on the ground. Mounted on horseback was a sure way to get shot with a wandering arrow.

           Tam pushed aside a snow-covered branch and then held his breath as he froze in his place. That Aiel had not been lost; a lost Aiel was definitely a foolish hope. Looking out at the forest clearing, full with Aiel, covered with a bloody Aiel clan most likely, tam wondered how he ever managed to get this close without being seen. There _had_ to be more than one Aiel lookout for this huge clan, so why had he only encountered _one_?

           No time to worry about that. If the Light blessed him with secrecy, sneaking into an Aiel camp by accident like he had, then there must be a reason for it. No time. He had a message for Perrin from the Two Rivers, and now he had a message about this Aiel camp in the middle of the forest between the Two Rivers and somewhere in Altara or maybe Ghealdan. The Two Rivers was being taken over by some mysterious man, who neither Tam Al'Thor nor the other true Two Rivers men trusted. At least, no one in the Village Council or the Women's Circle trusted the new lord, but the idiotic refugees did believe the liar, forcing all the stubborn Two Rivers men and women to flee the village. No time. Now he also had news about these bloody Aiel! Were they ever going to get a little peace like they used to? Once, when he was young, Tam had searched for adventure. Now he understood that adventure meant more tears and death than victory. He did not want another adventure if he could help it. Not one more!

           An abrupt pain in his leg brought his attention back to his position. Still holding onto his horse's bridle strap, Tam turned around, making the new wound in his leg quite known. First he looked down and grimaced at the obvious Aiel spear sticking out of his right leg. Then he dropped his hold on Quickfoot, or more like the frightened horse struggled out of his grip and ran, straight into the busy Aiel camp. Tam watched as several figures in white grappled to control the horse, succeeded, and led the horse away.

           It was at about that time when Tam realized there were several Aiel pulling the strings of bows and pointing arrows at his head. _Light! That had been foolish! _Tam berated himself over getting caught by these light forsaken Aiel, but he knew when to be a fool and when to be smart. As he stared into the faces of the three Aiel surrounding him, Tam couldn't help but think of seeing them all dead and rotting in the snow. Too bad Quickfoot had run off with his Two Rivers long bow; without a weapon he was forced to surrender to _Aiel_. He would never be able to forgive himself for this!

           The only thing that worried him now was escape. From what he heard, Aiel took no prisoners, but those people in white, acting as servants, were in now way Aiel blood. So, the Aiel had changed their ways; that meant he was going straight into enemy territory without any idea of what he was up against. _Light help me; I just surrendered to complete strangers without a fight._

Tam noticed the Aielmen whispering among them. Their veils were off and their bows lowered, even though the arrows were still nocked and ready to draw, and they were _whispering_. Now what could make the Aiel whisper? From what he knew about Aiel, they were not afraid to tell secrets in front of any prisoners. So why the sudden change in Aiel ideas? Tam decided to lean forward just a bit. He was leaning toward the characteristics of being a spy anyway; besides, once he got to Perrin's camp there would be a great appreciation for any knowledge he had to offer, especially with the strange behavior of these Aiel.

           "Should we make him _gai'shan _like the women or kill him like the others?" Out of the three Aielmen in front of him, the one with the dark, dark red hair and dark gray eyes with a scar split across the right eye seemed to despise Tam the most, according to the sneering glare sent his way. Tam knew it wasn't directed at him personally, but instead at all "wetlanders." There were probably many other Aiel just like this fellow. "I say we kill him." Even with the veil now off, all three Aiel looked about ready to engage in battle.

           Tam flicked his eyes away from the three, keeping his hands behind his head in a surrender position. At least they knew he was surrendering and he didn't have to say a single word to prove it. He wondered if Aiel would _accept_ a surrendering prisoner. Maybe he should have fought against them. No, that would have resulted in death. Tam forced down a slight smile as he thought about how odd a surrendering "wetlander" must be. No wonder the Aiel just stood there confused; they were so wrapped up in their own problems they seemed to have forgotten they held a prisoner.

           Tam took the chance and took a step—just one step—to the open area to the right, and all three Aiel stopped whispering to glare at him. Tam nearly winced at their glare. Bloody Aiel! He did wince, though, but at the spear wound in his leg, not their glares. That would have to be taken care of as soon as he could get the chance. 

           "He will be _gai'shan_." The youngest looking of the three said, glaring maliciously at him. Tam couldn't help but shiver at that gaze. What was a _gai'shan_ anyway? He didn't know all that much about Aiel customs, and this _gai'shan_ business did not sound too promising.

           The middle-aged Aielman completely ignored Tam as if he were but a piece of property. Tam lowered his eyebrows; he was being reminded over and over again why he _did not_ like Aielmen. "What do we do with him if Sevanna won't take him?"

           The dark eyed one smirked, and Tam felt his anger boiling at that look. "I can always find use for an extra _gai'shan_."

           Calm. Stay calm. "If Sevanna won't have anything to do with a male _gai'shan_, then we'll share his ownership." Calm. Be calm like a small river. Oh but it stung to be referred to as property by these _Aiel_!

           Tam remained clam, saying not a word as the three stripped him of his nice warm, wool clothing and his anger bubbled up, nearly to the surface. Now on top of the fact that he was considered property of Aiel, he had the cold to deal with _and _his still slightly bleeding wound. Tam kept his mouth shut, though; if he were forced to speak now he would only get himself in trouble because of his anger at being treated this way. He could stand Trollocs and all their horrifying ways, but to be plainly insulted by _Aiel_ was something he had never expected to happen. Never!

           It was a short walk in the snow, keeping his head down to avoid the curious eyes of the other white clad "wetlanders," which he knew were all women for some strange reason. There were others clad in white robes, but the other _men_ were Aiel. The Aiel ways were strange enough seen at a distance, and he had no intent to understand or follow their ways, even if he was forced to obey some of them. When he met this Sevanna—which it was quite clear he would—Tam promised himself to give this Aiel leader a piece of his mind; the quick-thinking mind of a stubborn Two Rivers man would surely set her off guard.

           It didn't take long to be pushed into a nearby tent; he let himself be pushed to the middle of the tent area, but he scowled when a white robe was forced over his head, a _thin_ white robe. It did nothing to cool his anger, both because it hardly got rid of the cold and he now knew what a _gai'shan_ was. All of those others out there in white, acting as servants were _gai'shan_, and he would soon join them.

           Tam scowled yet again when he was pushed back outside the tent without any footwear. They just _wanted_ him to get frostbite, didn't they? Bloody Aiel and their bloody _gai'shan_! Even acting as if he were a spy didn't help matters. He was _gai'shan_ now; he was still a servant to the Aiel; he still had no way to escape, not with thousands of Aiel surrounding him. This could even be more than one single clan. What happened to the supposedly "good Aiel?" Rumors. You could never trust a rumor. Never.

           But he had to remain strong in this situation. He didn't very much like adventures, but the Pattern had twisted him into a might fine adventure already. The only thing worse that could happen now was for the true Dragon Reborn—not some hopeless fool—to proclaim himself and bring a whole lot of destruction in the essence of another Breaking of the World. But what were the chances of _that _happening?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	3. Meetings

To clear up some confusion with the Tam issue, I will give a straight copy from something I found on a Wheel of Time fan website, concerning the thought if Tam knew Rand was the Dragon Reborn or not:

           **_Tam "knows" that Rand is the Dragon Reborn._**_ Jordan said that Tam has all the clues he needs to figure out that Rand is the Dragon Reborn. **Whether or not Tam will admit it to himself is another matter.** Jordan said that Tam merely finding Rand as a baby on the slopes of Dragonmount wasn't enough of a clue -- even if Tam were familiar with that prophecy then, few people think about those things or expect them to happen literally to them -- but that, plus the fact that Rand has disappeared off with Aes Sedai who say he's important, and the fact that the world is going crazy, should give Tam enough information to make the conclusion._

I enjoy skimming through fan websites and I just happened to find a little section on one of my favorite characters, giving the answer to a question I have raised several times. (I mean come on, Tam's been around the block a few times; he's not entirely blind and deaf to rumors and such, either.)

Thank you for reading, and now let's get back to the story.

Chapter Two:

Meetings

           The white-clad Aiel were the only _gai'shan_ in the tent that stood still and calm, ready to move at any given order. The others sulked, slouched, and darted their eyes about the room, obviously trying to think of a way to escape. The odd thing in this tent, which caught Tam by surprise, was the fact that _all_ the _gai'shan_ were women. And they all had matching gold belts and gold collars.

           Tam raised a hand, planning to use it to smooth back his gray hair, which had gone scraggly and stiff in the cold, but the glare he got from the eldest of the three Aiel made Tam lower his hand back to his side. He scowled and got another warning glare. In his youth, Tam may have struck out in annoyance and anger against this Aiel, but now he knew the foolishness of that action; if he did strike out, surrounded by Aiel as he was, there would be absolutely no way to survive. With that in mind, Tam suppressed his anger and looked up at the presence of Sevanna.

           "Rhudil, why do you bother me?" Her voice was cool, holding back some annoyance or anger, very possibly both. Her hard green eyes stared very coldly at the eldest Aielman; she either didn't notice Tam or was just ignoring his presence at the moment. But no matter what she was doing, or pretending, Tam couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

           She was beautiful with those blaring green eyes that demanded for things to be done her way and with all acquired swiftness. That look almost rivaled Nynaeve's glare; it was a good thing that he knew how to deal with Nynaeve—if only at times—because now he wouldn't be lost in the dark trying to understand this Sevanna. The Aiel woman turned her head, letting her golden hair glimmer beautifully in the light, causing the several-jeweled necklaces framing her bosom to rattle at her movement. Yes, she was young and beautiful, but that wasn't what forced his eyes on her.

           When he had made his first observation of this room, Tam had noticed how the "wetlanders" were all darting their eyes about the tent, obviously planning escape. The Aiel _gai'shan_ showed no interest whatsoever in escape; their eyes stayed fixed on Sevanna, clearly ready to do what _gai'shan_ did, serve. Well, Tam would show that some humble readiness to serve, even though he was only pretending; at least he could keep his plans of escape secret. The time would come when these Aiel would see what it meant to try to control a Two Rivers man; the time would come, and he would remain patient in waiting for it to come.

           "We found this wetlanders spying on our camp, and he surrendered to us so we made him _gai'shan_, Sevanna." The eldest Aiel, the one with the scar, had stepped forth to answer to his name.

           Tam remained concentrated on Sevanna. He would not alter his gaze to meet the urge of studying the tent for possible escape routes—he would not! He had promised himself he would show these Aiel a true Two Rivers man, and a good way to start would be to keep his gaze on the head of this Aiel camp.

           "So, Rhudil, you say you caught us a wetlanders spy?" Sevanna's jewelry rattled greatly as she moved across the spacious tent. Snow and ice cracked under her nice, thick shoes, reminding Tam of his quickly numbing feet, and inevitably reminding him of the pain in his right leg. He looked down to study his wound, hoping his shifting gaze downward was taken for meekness only as Sevanna approached ever closer. The spear had been taken out of his leg—forced out rather painfully—and then his wound had been poorly bandaged up. It still stung, though, and more than his cold bare feet. He blinked when Sevanna—very gently—forced his chin up so that they were eye-to-eye. "What's your name, wetlanders?"

           Tam blinked again at that piercing look; it really reminded him of Nynaeve for some odd reason. Now why would she care about his name? After thinking on it, he decided not to speak at all. Spies rarely got caught, but when they just happened to be unlucky one day, they always refused to give out information, at least as far as he knew.

           "Well?" Her voice was hard, just as hard as her green eyes.

           Tam remained silent. He continued to meet her gaze, refusing to speak one word. Those eyes demanded an answer for her question, but he refused to give one. He was from the Two Rivers, and he could deal with Aiel better than he could standing alone in front of the Woman's Circle back home.

           Sevanna dropped his chin and stepped away, letting Tam go without answering her question. He risked shifting his gaze once, only to be met with three angry glares. If all these Aiel were made of was simple looks, he might be able to get out of here after all. "I have no use for spies that don't shed information, and if he poses no use…"

           Immediately there were three spears pointing dangerously at his throat. Tam's eyes flicked around the room quickly, but he made no move, knowing full well there was no chance for escape any more, no chance for secrecy if he was to live. Now _these_ were the Aiel he remembered, not that it was something worth being enlightened over.

           His gaze caught hold of Sevanna staring at him, a smirk ready to form on her face. Tam felt foolish for ever believing she would let him go without first meeting her demands. He let out a breath he just noticed he had been holding, and then inhaled some more to have enough air to speak. "Tam Al'Thor. My name's Tam Al'Thor." In the face of death, even spies were allowed to let some information loose.

           As soon as the words left his mouth, it seemed the entire tent was holding its breath. Even the Aiel _gai'shan_ looked surprised. Sevanna's mouth was the first to form words. "Al'Thor? Are you related to _Rand_ Al'Thor?"

           Now it was Tam's turn to be shocked. _How do these Aiel know Rand? It must be that Aes Sedai's fault!_

           Tam found himself nodding and then surprised again at Sevanna's whispered words—Aiel whispering! " 'Raised of the blood, but not by the blood.' His is the Car'a'carn."

           Tam blinked. _Who? What?_ He put a hand to his head to run it through his scraggly white hair, this time not getting glared at because all the Aiel seemed busy with their own thoughts. And all the non-Aiel _gai'shan_ were staring at him, backing away slowly, as if afraid.

           Tam got one more chance to blink before Sevanna got a hold of herself. She stared at him now, completely forgetting about the others in the room with them. Her green eyes held his own, and Light, did they remind him of Nynaeve every time! That golden hair of hers fluffed around her face and all those necklaces rattled with every bounce of her half-concealed bosom. Yet with all that beauty she possessed, there was still that familiar commanding air about her figure.

           "We have things we must discuss, Tam Al'Thor." Sevanna looked down and her eyes widened just a little. Tam bit his lip when he realized why. He couldn't feel his feet anymore; not even the cold seeped into his bare feet. "Rhudil, get him some decent clothes and footwear for this snow." Sevanna said the word rather well for an Aiel, almost as if she had practiced saying it. As the three Aielmen led him out of the tent, Tam caught Sevanna's last whispered words. "We do have certain things to discuss, certain people of great importance to talk about, Tam Al'Thor." She rather appeared to like saying that name, her words twisting just right over al'Thor as if she planned to trap all the al'Thor's for revenge. _What has that bloody Aes Sedai gotten Rand into, having _Aiel_ know the name al'Thor!_

He was stopped, standing in the middle of yet another tent, or maybe it was the same as before? No matter. He was considered special property now—according to the way the three Aielmen treated him differently, none scowling no mater what he did—though why still confused him. As thicker white clothes were placed on him and feeling began to return to his feet, Tam tried to think out an escape from every angle, every single possible angle; sometimes an obvious means of escape worked better than a hidden back door. Sadly, nothing came to mind. When he was set free to do what he pleased, Tam merely fell into the padded chair behind him, or maybe he should just call it a cushion, since that's all it basically was.

           There was no escape.

           He looked at every possible escape route and found it blocked by one way or another. That meant he was trapped here, trapped to act like a servant to _Aiel_. On top of the knowledge that he couldn't escape, that boiled his blood to near bursting! Servant to bloody Aiel! The Two Rivers falling apart while he sat here being humble and meet for a bunch of Aiel!

           He fingered the golden collar carefully and he touched the gleaming belt like in a trance of wonder. Out of the corner of his eye he watched Rhudil and the younger Aiel exit the tent, both growling fiercely. The middle-aged Aiel crouched down next to the tent entrance, seemingly waiting for the other two to return while completely ignoring Tam. 

           Seemingly.

           Tam did not let his gaze alter once in surprise, but instead continued to study this Aiel. Of all the Aiel in the camp so far, Tam had really come to dislike this one the most. While the other two at least had the decency to acknowledge Tam, this Aiel sat back and ignored him; letting the other two fight out their differences. The only words Tam ever heard out of this Aiel's mouth was the suggestion that he and his two buddies shared Tam's ownership if Sevanna did not take him. 

           The bright red hair, scraggly like Tam's own in this cold, would forever mark the man as Aiel in any crowd, though the man appeared like he would try to blend in as best he could. The man sat stock still, barely moving except for twirling an arrow lightly against the hard snow, lightly so as not to break the arrow, and even though he appeared to be ignoring everything in the room, Tam could feel the man's gaze, staring him down, studying him like some piece of property. Again, Tam felt his blood boil, but he cooled himself, taking his own turn at studying the Aiel in the same notion, by seeming to be ignoring the world around him.

           "You are a good spy. Sevanna should watch her back." Tam blinked at the Aielman's words. The man just spent five, maybe ten minutes pretending to ignore Tam's existence and all he could come up with when he did speak was that Sevanna should watch her back? Tam would _never_ get used to these bloody Aiel!

           The Aielman opened his mouth to say something else—probably after seeing Tam's reaction—but he was interrupted before another word could be spoken. The tent flap moved to allow Rhudil and the young Aiel to walk right in. The other Aielman was on his feet before Tam could beat him to it, the arrow gone from his hand. He lowered his eyes immediately, acting the part of _gai'shan_ as he was supposed to.

           "Sevanna will see you now, Tam Al'Thor." Rhudil spit his name out like it contained poison, his blaring eyes taking the place of his usual scowl.

           Tam followed the Aielman, barely passing a glance to the middle-aged one as he walked on by—he could feel his feet again like nothing had ever happened to them, and the pain in his leg was slowly dwelling down. The words of the Aielman who was definitely more than he seemed rebounded in his head again and again. _"You are a good spy. Sevanna should watch her back." A good spy am I? Well, these Aiel haven't seen anything yet._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	4. The Dragon Speaks

I know it took forever to get up, but I hope you enjoy it. When the idea for the next chapter finally hit me, I had fun writing it. I hope you have as much fun reading it! 

Chapter Three:

The Dragon Speaks

           Rand felt the sweat run down his face. Yes, it was his face, _his_! The link to _saidin _was _his_! It was his own: the Dragon Reborn's link to the One Power, yet Lews Therin had control of it. Lews Therin, the annoying _voice_ in his head had control over _saidin_. This was the moment Rand had feared since that first time Lews Therin reached for the flame; he had never expected Lews Therin to actually _grab_ the flame, thought, no matter how many times he reached for it!

           Now Rand stood in shock as Lews Therin laughed gleefully inside his head. _It's mine again! It's mine again! It's mine again! _The voice incessantly reminded Rand of a little kid jumping around and bragging about winning a game. That was the image in his head, at least. Lews Therin finally stopped gloating at holding _saidin_ while Rand stood helplessly in the dark. The voice took on a thoughtful sound. _Hmm…what should I do to celebrate? I know! Fireworks were always a lovely site!_

           Rand blinked and knew alarm pulsed on the features of his face. Lews Therin was _mad!_ He tried to take _saidin_ in his own hands again, but Lews Therin would not let go. 

           _Mine!_ The voice demanded, suddenly hard and commanding. _It belongs to me!_

           Rand fought back; he had to fight back; there was no choice in that matter. Since he no longer held control over _saidin_ he had to fight back with everything he had. He would not allow Lews Therin to use _his_ link to _saidin_ to destroy Elayne's palace with _celebrating fireworks!_ Lews Therin really was the mad one!

           _Awe…you don't like fireworks? What madman raised _you_? _Rand felt his eyebrows lower considerably when Lews Therin cracked up in mad laughter; the crazy madman was even more curious than Aiel when it came to humor. Usually, Rand let the mad voice laugh itself to silence, but not this time.

           _My father is not mad!_

           Lews Therin's laughter cut off sharply and when the voice spoke next there was slyness there that only appeared on rare occasions. _How do you know?_

           The question hit Rand into his own thoughts. He had forgotten about that. Tam was not his true blood-related father, even though Rand considered him so. Tam had raised him, not the Aiel, and Tam was most certainly not mad like Lews Therin. Of course, he didn't have much of a guarantee that his Aiel father was sane. But how did Lews Therin know that?

           The voice in his head chuckled. _I know more about you than you do._

           Rand drew back and scowled. _And I you._

"Rand?" Min's hand was on his arm, and she was trembling.

           He wanted to comfort her; he wanted to say everything was going to be all right, that they would live happily ever after like everyone else in this world. He wanted to do all that and more, but it would all be just a lie. With Lews Therin in control of _saidin_ the world would soon collapse. Rand had failed them, failed them before the Last Battle even had begun to commence.

           _I'm not as mad as everyone thinks I am._ Lews Therin's voice was defiant and hard; Rand found it easy to picture the man scowling. _Besides, some of that madness has leaked into you, so we're safe._

Rand felt his face crinkle up with anger and then worry. That would explain why Lews Therin sounded saner than he used to. That would explain a lot of things. But he couldn't go mad. Not yet! Not now! Not after he had just cleansed the taint on the male half of the One Power! The Dragon Reborn couldn't go mad before the Last Battle.

           _I'm not mad!_

           Lews Therin chuckled. _But you will be._

           Rand shook his head, trying to force Lews Therin out. He did not want to talk with a madman in his head, especially not if they were actually going to talk about _insanity_. He looked around, seeing two huge holes in the Caemlyn Palace walls. Cadsuane and Lanfear were on the ground, staring at him with mouths wide open.

           He must have said or done something insane if they were staring at him like _that_. He started to chew on his lip, and a bead of sweat ran down his face when he suddenly felt the weaving of _saidin _begin. Lews Therin was ready to shoot fireworks now. _Light, have pity on me._

           Rand just stood there as Lews Therin formed the semi-complicated weave. He didn't know what else he could do. He couldn't make a gateway and escape the stares of the others because Lews Therin had complete control of _saidin_. He couldn't do anything with the One Power. After having it for so long, being able to accomplish so many wonders—and horrors—losing the control in itself could make him go insane because he couldn't touch it.

           _Oh would you calm down already. You're spoiling all the fun. The taint has been cleansed; my mistake has been erased, so stop worrying about insanity. You're giving me a headache!_

           As soon as Rand realized he had his hand on his temple he quickly brought his arm to his side, scowling lightly. _Leave my body alone!_

           _Why? We share _saidin_; we share the same mind space; why not share the body?_

_           Because you're just a madman's voice in my head! Why don't you just get out and leave me be?_

           No! Like you said before, we're the same person so we should work together.

           Rand froze before he could think another word. The weave was complete.

           _Ha! It's time to celebrate our unity._

Rand's arm rose up toward the ceiling completely against his will, and he winced as a mixture of fire and lightning exploded above the room. He was afraid to look at the others now, afraid to see the fear of his insanity in their eyes. He was most especially afraid to turn to Cadsuane; afraid of her for a reason he did not understand.

           Min gripped the sleeve of his coat, bringing his arm down harshly, though the fireworks continued to go off and Lews Therin continued to laugh joyfully. Her voice trembled with newfound worry. "What are the fireworks for? Rand, are you feeling okay?"

           He wanted to tell her that everything was just perfectly fine, but he ended up turning his head to look straight at Lanfear. Lews Therin insisted on calling this new stranger Lanfear, though Rand could not see _any_ physical resemblance and no reason for Lanfear to change her outer appearance if she _had_ returned from the dead. But to Lews Therin, who most certainly knew all the Forsaken better than anyone else alive, this was still Lanfear.

           Oddly, he began to hum and he fingered his ear lobe, while staring at "Lanfear." Those were Lews Therin's habits, not his! As if the fireworks ordeal was not bad enough, Lews Therin decided to make it worse, using Rand's mouth and voice to speak aloud, making everyone take a step backwards.

           "Lanfear, you haven't aged a day."

           Surprisingly, the strange woman grinned. "Well that was a nice compliment, Lews Therin. It's nice to see you've finally escaped from that foolish boy's mind."

           Rand wanted to send her screaming back to where she came from with a blast of balefire, but instead he blushed as if _pleased_. Lews Therin really was taking control, and of more than just _saidin_. Rand wanted to weep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~TO BE CONTINUED~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
